Spiffy:

Iffy:

Some balancing issues; will the network code be solid?

Over the course of video game history, we've seen plenty of cute and cuddly mascots. Crash Bandicoot showed us all how much fun you could have simply spinning around in circles, while Mario and his brother made plumbers cool. Even Pac-man was huggable, despite the fact that he didn't have any arms. However, there's one furry little fiend who holds a special place in the hearts of gamers everywhere, even though he's not exactly the cuddling type. Of course, I'm talking about Conker, the hero of the Nintendo 64 smash Conker's Bad Fur Day, the game that finally helped Nintendo shed its kid friendly image. Featuring tons of over-the-top gore, generous helpings of hardcore profanity, and more pop culture references than you can shake Buford Pusser's stick at, the title left gamers wanting more.

Well, it's been a long wait, but fans of the psychotic squirrel will finally be getting what they wished for with the upcoming release of Conker: Live and Reloaded, the second Xbox title developed by Rare. We got a chance to check out the game on our trip to Microsoft's Redmond campus yesterday, and while we weren't able to see any of the title's sure to be crazy single player game, we did get to try out the highly enjoyable multiplayer modes. It seems that much of the multiplayer content is similar to that found in the original game (the whole title is a reimagining of sorts), but there's one major change: the addition of Xbox Live play.

Yes, you can finally take your game online to do battle with up to 15 of your buddies (for those of you who aren't math majors, that adds up to 16 players total), although certain smaller levels will limit you to fewer players. When the game begins, you'll have to choose a character class, in addition to deciding which side you'd like to be on. Most of the classes are what you'd expect to see in a head-to-head multiplayer environment. Bazooka-toting Demolishers are slow and powerful, Long Rangers can use their sniper rifles to take out foes from afar, and Grunts are well-balanced, offering average armor, speed, and power across the board. Two fun additions are the Thermophile, who wields a flamethrower with deadly efficiency, and Sneekers, ninja-like warriors who can use active camouflage and chop off foes' heads with their swords.

Depending on the game type, you'll probably want to go with one class over another. For instance, the first game we played found us storming a beach, similar to the Normandy invasion scene in "Saving Private Ryan." The game was objective based, and we had to make our way through several barriers in 20 minutes (though the time parameter can be changed in the host's option screen). After running to the first barrier, we found several barrels that had to be blown up in order to progress, and it took a lot of firepower to break on through to the other side. I could hear one of my teammates cursing because he had chosen the Sneeker, whose sword did next to nothing against the barrels. I, on the other hand, picked the Demolisher, and my bazooka made short work of the barrier. Thankfully, you can pause the game to switch classes, although you'll be forced to wait a bit longer before you respawn.